Lawn chair with tiltable back



Oct. 11, 1955 c. E. COOK LAWN CHAIR WITH TILTABLE BACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18, 1953 Charles E. Coo/r INVENTOR.

1 BY W n; 3m

Oct. 11, 1955 Q CQQK LAWN CHAIR WITH TILTABLE BACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1953 Char/es E. Cook INVENTOR.

United States PatentO LAWN CHAIR WITH TlLTABLE BACK Charles E. Cook, Carthage, Miss. Application September 18, 1953, Serial No. 380,942

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-106) This invention relates to a lawn chair and more specifically provides a foldable, rocking-type lawn chair.

An object of this invention is to provide a lawn chair having a flexible seat member attached at its remote ends to the chair frame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lawn chair having a rocking back rest which operates a footrest for better comfort of the person using the chair.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lawn chair foldable into a compact unit when not in use.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a lawn chair which is simple in construction, easy to set up, comfortable to sit in, and inexpensive to manufacture. v

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the lawn chair of this invention in its set-up position;

Figure 2 is a side view of the lawn chair of this invention showing the chair in the position of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation view showing the lawn chair of this invention with the back rest pivoted to a reclining position and the footrest pivoted to its operative position; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the lawn chair of this invention in folded position for storage.

Referring now specifically to Figure 1 in detail, it will be seen that the numeral generally designates a base frame and the numeral 12 generally designates a back rest frame pivotally secured to each other by the pivot fastener 14 wherein the base member 10 and the frame back rest 12 may be pivoted substantially parallel to each other for storage of the chair when not in use.

The base member 10 includes a pair of end members 16 and a pair of side members 18 forming a skeletonlike frame with the end members 16 being parallel to each other and the side members 18 being parallel and arcuately bent throughout their longitudinal length forming a generally arcuate member wherein the arc is generally flattened. The back rest 12 also includes a pair of end members 20 and a pair of side members 22 with the end members 20 being parallel and the side members being parallel and the side members 22 are arcuately curved into a generally arcuate shape similar to the base member 10. The back rest 12 is generally skeletonized and the frame fits between the side members 18 of the base member 10 and is pivoted thereto by the pivot pins 14 extending through the adjacent side members 18 and 22. A flexible seat member 24 having a hem portion 26 at each end thereof is secured to the remote ends 20 and 16 of the base member 10 and the back rest 12 wherein the flexible member 24 forms a seat for a person. The elongated arm rests 28 are at- Patented Oct. 11, 1955 tached to the upper surface of the side members 18 adiacent the lower portion of the flexible member 24 wherein a person seated on the flexible member 24 may rest his arms on the arm rests 28. A U-shaped leg member 30 having a bight portion 32 and upstanding leg portions 34 is pivotally attached to the side members 18 of the base member 10 by a suitable pivot fastener 36 and an offset portion 38 is provided on the upper end of each leg member 34 and adapted to abut the under surface of the side members 18 for limiting the pivotal movement of the U-shaped member 30 about the pivot axis formed by the pivot bolts or fasteners 36. A U-shaped member 40 is pivoted between the leg members 34 by suitable pivot bolt 42 and a foodrest 44 is attached to the outer surface of the -U-shaped member 40.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. With the lawn chair in a set-up position as shown in Figure 1, the U-shaped member 30 is pivoted about its pivot axis formed by the fasteners 36 to a position wherein the legs 34 are substantially perpendicular to the side members 18 and the back rest member 12 is pivoted about the axis 14 so that the upper portion of the back rest is substantially vertical and the lower end of the back rest 12 is positioned behind the U-shaped member 30. Then the lawn chair is in a position for the occupant to restfully sit on the flexible seat forming member 24. When the occupant desires to recline, he merely leans back pivoting the back rest member 12 about the pivot axis 14 and the lower end of the back rest 12 abuts the footrest member 40 and pivots it to a substantially horizontal position as shown in Figure 3. Obviously, the back rest portion 12 may be pivoted about its axis 14 as desired by the occupant by merely giving a greater backward thrust to the upper portion of the back rest member 12. The back rest member 12 may be made to oscillate about the pivot member 14 thereby giving a rocking effect to the chair by the occupant merely shifting his weight in the manner used in operating a conventional rocking chair. The device may be folded by merely grasping the end portions 16 and 20 of the base member 10 and the back rest 12 which have the hem members 26 of the back rest 24 attached thereto and moving them towards each other until the side rails 18 and 22 are substantially parallel and C0 extensive as best shown in Figure 4. When it is desired to set the chair up, the hem portions 26 are grasped and pulled away from each other and the U-shaped member 30 is pivoted about its pivot axis 36 and the offset portions 38 abut the undersurface of the side members 18 thereby assuring a positive support for the base member 10. The flexible member 24 may be made of any suitable canvas material decorated as desired and the various elements of the chair may be made of tubular pipe members and the end portions 20 and 16 may be removable for placing the canvas seat member 24 on the chair. The footrest 44 and the arm rest 28 may be made of any suitable metal suiting the specific needs and the device may be painted in any color for protection against the weather and a pleasing appearance.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A lawn chair comprising a generally arcuate base member having spaced parallel end members and arcuate side members, a generally arcuate back rest member of rectangular skeletonized construction pivotally secured to said base, a seat member secured between the remote ends of said base member and said back member, said base member being provided with a pivotally 'mounted U-shape'd leg fnernber for supporting the seat supporting end of Said base in spaced relation to a supporting surface, and a footrest pivoted to said U-shaped leg member, an end member of said back rest being positioned for selectively engaging said footrest for pivoting said footrest to an extended position when said back rest is pivoted to a reclining position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McEntire Sept. 14, Smith Sept. 3,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 4, Great Britain June 13, Italy Mar. 18, Great Britain July 26, Germany Sept. 27, 

